Your opinions on Bushnell Banner 6-18X50

[Judge Ali]

Anyone got one or used one?

Am being offered one cheap but havent had a chance to look at it yet and was hoping to get a bit of info from here first.

Can either use on my Ruger to complete the fox kit or replace the Tasco on my Anschutz with it.

Either way, it would be used for a little bit of target - mainly hunting though, both daytime and lamping.

Your input as always is appreciated.

Many thanks,
Alex

[rogerhoad]

Have a look at a Legend. Kevin advised me to buy the 5-15x40 as I was looking at the Banner and it is a very good scope especially as there are quite a few good deals around on them at the moment. I thought that coming down from a 50 to a 40 might be a problem but it's not.

There was a 3-9x40 went on e bay for not much over £30 earlier this week.

[humperdingle]

£100 posted here:

http://www.sportsmanguncentre.co.uk/pro ... RP+235.00/

Was looking at them just yesterday. Quite interested in a higher mag scope to replace the 8 X 56 on the .22-250.

[Beer Hunter]

The Legend is a much better scope for not much more.

Kev.

[Judge Ali]

The Legend is a much better scope for not much more.

Kev.

why is it better? clarity? is there a lot of difference?

i often see people on the forum knocking scopes and in particular hawkes but dont really get why why some of the cheaper scopes are rubbished. it almost seems if you havent spent a vast sum on a scope then you lacking credibility! i often hear people down the club literally bragging about how much they have spent on scopes and why your scope should always cost more than your rifle. i have a hawke on my cz - have shot a hare with it at over 160 yds and get good groups with it down the club. i can see well through it, it magnifies properly so what exactly am i missing here and why are they considered so crap?

i should add i am sure there is an advantage but where exactly is the quality difference?

[varminter]

The Legend is a much better scope for not much more.

Kev.

why is it better? clarity? is there a lot of difference?....i should add i am sure there is an advantage but where exactly is the quality difference?

Alex, I'm sure this has been covered many times on the forum, but only recently there was this one:
http://www.shootforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=6763
- which covers exactly these issues. People are always going to disagree about optics. I have only an amateur interest in scopes & binoculars (but a professional interest in photographic optics), I like good kit, and it's a good illustration of getting what you pay for. Lots of cheaper scopes are very good value - but they're never going to be as good (and i don't simply mean what it feels like when you look through it) as the best stuff...
Regards, Malcolm

[Beer Hunter]

Alex,

One evening hunting with quality glass and you would understand

The biggest difference between the Banner and Legend is that the Legend has fully multi-coated optics and the glass is of a higher quality with better light transmission. Brightness, contrast, colour and sharpness are all better and the field of view is also much better.

The Legend is also better made - higher quality materials.

Kev.

[rogerhoad]

I was out last night and was still able to shoot rabbits at 10.30 without the lamp. IMHO you just couldn't do that with poor glass.

There isn't much difference in price between the Legend and the Trophy if you shop around.

[hungryrob]

what exactly am i missing here and why are they considered so crap?

i should add i am sure there is an advantage but where exactly is the quality difference?

If all you ever do is shoot rabbits in daylight, pretty much anything will do.

For me, the difference is at nigh and under the lamp or with night vision. A good scope buys you quarry identification where poor ones don't. At this time of year, the fields are full of roe kids. There are also a lot of doxes and fox cubs around, I want to shoot the foxes but not the roe kids. With good glass the difference is clear as daylight. With poor glass you can't see anything but eyes shining back at you, you need to wait for a profile shot.. which in long grass can be difficult to get.

I can ID a fox with my scopes at well beyond 300 yards with a lamp at night. This is simply not possible with poor quality glass and you find yourself squeaking in sheep, deer, cats and god knows all what

[varminter]

...I can ID a fox with my scopes at well beyond 300 yards with a lamp at night. This is simply not possible with poor quality glass and you find yourself squeaking in sheep, deer, cats and god knows all what

Reminds me of a couple of chums out lamping years ago, who called up a decent fox, blatted it with the 223 - went over and up against the hedge, dead as mutton, was the biggest ginger cat either of them had ever seen! They quickly bunged it onto the verge of the nearby dual carriageway as a cunning diversion, and legged it pronto.
Regards, Malcolm

[hungryrob]

...I can ID a fox with my scopes at well beyond 300 yards with a lamp at night. This is simply not possible with poor quality glass and you find yourself squeaking in sheep, deer, cats and god knows all what

Reminds me of a couple of chums out lamping years ago, who called up a decent fox, blatted it with the 223 - went over and up against the hedge, dead as mutton, was the biggest ginger cat either of them had ever seen! They quickly bunged it onto the verge of the nearby dual carriageway as a cunning diversion, and legged it pronto.
Regards, Malcolm

The reason most of us know about the difference between quality glass and shite is that we've learned the hard way

That is a perfect example of the 'hard way' btut there are many many more and much worse...

In the past, I thought I had accidentally shot a sheep (turns out I hadn't and it IS a long story) but without going into it in detail, I called BASC insurance the next day to let them know there may be a claim coming in.. I was terribly apologetic and embarrassed...

The woman I spoke to was just off the phone to someone who had shot a horse!!

Mistakes can and DO happen. The risk is reduced and (almost eliminated) when you can clearly see your target

[rogerhoad]

This sort of thing apparently happens all the time. It's surprising really that BASC insurance still covers lamping accidents.

A few years ago two blokes were out foxing at night when they saw 2 foxes in a field. The shooter shot 1 and the other high tailed it through the hedge in to the next field. On entering the field the lamp man immediately picked up eyes and the shooter shot it with his .220 Swift.

It was a Sheltie ,on a lead being walked on a public footpath!!! I don't know what course of action was taken against the perpetrator, but the dog was shot right through the shoulder but survived following some very prompt action from the local vet.

We also had a spate of horses being shot in the lower legs and feet in this area a few years ago, the RSPCA predictably tried to say that some one was deliberately shooting horses,but I am pretty sure that it wasn't deliberate but that the horses were feeding and someone was shooting at eyes without identifying their target properly.

[Judge Ali]

what exactly am i missing here and why are they considered so crap?

i should add i am sure there is an advantage but where exactly is the quality difference?

If all you ever do is shoot rabbits in daylight, pretty much anything will do.

For me, the difference is at nigh and under the lamp or with night vision. A good scope buys you quarry identification where poor ones don't. At this time of year, the fields are full of roe kids. There are also a lot of doxes and fox cubs around, I want to shoot the foxes but not the roe kids. With good glass the difference is clear as daylight. With poor glass you can't see anything but eyes shining back at you, you need to wait for a profile shot.. which in long grass can be difficult to get.

I can ID a fox with my scopes at well beyond 300 yards with a lamp at night. This is simply not possible with poor quality glass and you find yourself squeaking in sheep, deer, cats and god knows all what

ok, i am beginning to see - i just couldnt figure out why so many people were slating certain scopes but they looked fine to me and appeared to do the job ok.

i do a lot of lamping at night but rarely do much of it long distance. i have luckily never shot anything by mistake to date but to be honest if i dont know exactly what i am shooting at then would not pull the trigger. i wouldnt assume a pair of eyes face on to me is a fox as i am aware this is not necessarily so. however, having a clearer picture of one certainly dispells any question mark you may have i recognise that.

i also appreciate you get what you pay for and better quality = longer life and less chance of a breakdown.

i have got 1 and possibly 2 more scopes to get so may wait until i find a decent model at the right price, am in no rush to be honest and would like to try a few out before buying. i only want to buy this stuff once!

cheers
alex

[Beer Hunter]

...i only want to buy this stuff once!

Save your time and go straight for the S&B then

Kev.

[Judge Ali]

...i only want to buy this stuff once!

Save your time and go straight for the S&B then

Kev.

would love to but as always it comes down to the £££££££££

i think i am gonna get one for now and then get the other after i do my next offshore stint. otherwise my wife is going to have put her kidneys on ebay or something.